One of the foundational principles of yoga is Balance; and I’m not talking about how still you can hold a Tree pose. I’m talking about balance as in harmony or evenness. In Spanish the word for balance is equilibrio, like the word equilibrium in English. From The Latin Root Aequi Meaning Equal, And Libra Meaning Balance. How do we find this balance in life? A good start is taking an assessment without judgment.
I often share in my asana classes that there is no Good or Bad in assessing your practice. That statement is often met with puzzled looks. I can relate; It's a tough concept to take on. During check in at the beginning of class I ask my participants to look at 3 things, one at a time. They are the Breath, the Body and the Brain. I often suggest that we try to look at these things objectively. In other words we are looking at but not judging these things. A smooth and even breath wouldn’t be labeled good and a tight short breath isn’t bad. We are the observer, the curious noticer. We are the scientists taking inventory of what IS. “What’s going on with Bob’s body today?” I ask myself in my own practice. I struggled with not labeling. Living in a world where almost everything is judged and rated it was hard for me to look at things, particularly self, without qualifying or judging. Unfortunately, when we jump to rating, grading or judging we miss the opportunity to really see what is there. Our brain is trained to be quick at assessing and solving problems. Quick just isn’t always efficient. Sometimes in an effort to judge or qualify we don’t see the whole picture.
When we are on the mat we have a chance to practice slowing down and getting a greater understanding of the nuances of what’s going on in our brain and body. Let’s look at an example. When we are in a meditation or yoga class we might look at the busy brain as a bad thing. “I can’t stop my mind” is a common statement from students in my class. “I can’t either”, I will often respond. Meditation is noticing the thoughts not stopping them. There is really nothing wrong with a busy brain, when you need a brain to be busy. When we are in the midst of our lives we most often multi-task. We may be driving, we might also be talking on the phone, or listening to a podcast, or rehearsing a presentation. Where would we be in our busy lives if we could only be expected to do one thing at a time. So there is nothing wrong with a multitasking brain, until we can’t turn it off. You lay down to sleep and the brain is still busy and you can’t stop. You have an argument with your partner and you get stuck ruminating about it the rest of your day and can’t get anything done. This is where awareness and balance come in.
When we are on the mat there is an opportunity to watch and learn about our brain and body. . As you practice meditation and yoga over and over you begin to get an understanding of the particular things your brain does and observe the body. You have a chance to really see what’s going on. It’s not until you have awareness that you can take action. You notice your brain is particularly busy and you can try different techniques to calm that busy brain. Focusing on the breathing or the body sensations or sounds in the room. It’s work but then when you are faced with something going on in life that is out of balance you have a chance to try out some of these techniques in real time out in the world.
With greater awareness I’ve found I have more opportunities. Hmm… My lower back is really tight today. Would it be helpful for me to spend more time stretching and opening up my lower back? Oh my brain is really firing today. Should I slow down and take some time to sit still today? I’m feeling sluggish. Would it be helpful for me to move my body or is it time to take a nap. When I judge or qualify as good or bad my options are more limited.
Are you moving in a balancing direction? Transformational change takes time; and sometimes you need the help and support of someone else. In addition to private yoga lessons I also provide personalized Yogic Coaching.